Diamond Rio PMP300 32MB digital media player
Object No. 2012/32/1
The Diamond Rio was one of the earliest portable digital media devices - released in late 1998 it sold extremely well and put the MP3 firmly on the map. So much so that some members of the record industry attempted to sue Diamond claiming the PMP300 encouraged music piracy. The Diamond Rio player was one of the products that Apple executives examined while they considered a foray into the digital media player market. Although they were quick to fault its lack of user friendliness and capacity (Jobs said it "truly sucked") - an echo of its wheel shaped control panel can be seen in the iPod classic of 2001. Campbell Bickerstaff, 2012
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Summary
Object Statement
Digital media player, Rio PMP300, with accessories, documentation and packaging, plastic / paper / electronic components, designed by Diamond Multimedia Inc, San Jose, California, United States of America, made in Taiwan, 1998
Physical Description
A portable digital media player for MP3 files with original cables and other accessories, instructions and packaging. It is rectangular in shape and is cased in a navy coloured plastic unit with a tuning dial at the base and a small LED screen at the top.
DIMENSIONS
Height
92 mm
Width
66 mm
Depth
20 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
Designed by Diamond Multimedia Inc in San Jose, California, USA, made in Taiwan in 1998. The Rio PMP300 was one of the first consumer MP3 players. Used for downloading MP3 files from computer (software on discs included) to play through headphones or connect to other amplifiers. It can hold 32MB.
HISTORY
Notes
The first portable digital media player appeared earlier in 1998 (the Eiger Labs MPMan F10) and was quickly followed into the market by the Diamond Rio two months later. The MP3 file format had been around for a while (approved as a committee draft of ISO/IEC standard in 1991, finalised in 1992 and published in 1993) and was rapidly gaining popularity on the World Wide Web through legitimate digital music distribution sites, closely followed by illegitimate peer to peer music swap sites (such as Napster in 1999 - 2001).
SOURCE
Credit Line
Purchased 2012
Acquisition Date
19 March 2012
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